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Endometriosis Increases the Risk of Heart Disease, Study Reveals.

A study has revealed that women with endometriosis are at a 60% risk of developing heart disease as compared to those without the disorder. Characterized by pelvic pains, chronic inflammation and painful periods, endometriosis is a condition affecting over 170 million women worldwide. It occurs when tissues similar to the lining of the uterus are found outside the uterus or in other parts of the body. It is most common when women and girls are at their most productive years and is known to cause infertility.

Endometriosis affects among other parts, the female reproductive organs

In the study that was published online in the Circulation:Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes on the 29th of March, more than 100,000 women enrolled in the Nurses' Health Study 2 were studied. Nearly 12,000 of the women had received an endometriosis diagnosis during the 20-year study period that ended in 2009. Heart attacks, blocked arteries and chest pains/angina were other conditions that the endometriosis patients had increased risk of, according to the study.

Surprisingly, younger women had an even higher risk of developing heart diseases with those younger than 40 years of age being 3 times more likely to need surgery for blocked surgery, have heart attack or have chest pain than women of the same age without the condition.

These findings could be explained by other studies that have suggested that women with the condition have high 'bad' cholesterol and low 'good' cholesterol. They also have high levels of oxidative stress. Endometriosis treatments like the removal of the uterus and the ovaries also increase the risks of heart disease.

The take home lesson is that women with this condition should be talking to their doctors about steps that they can take to prevent and lower the risks of heart problems. Conservative surgery that gets rids of the lesions while leaving the uterus and the ovaries intact should be used wherever possible, for instance. Healthy lifestyle choices should also be encouraged as they reduce the risks of not just heart diseases but other lifestyle diseases like diabetes and obesity. Until we see each other again,